About to sell out

Everyone always says that the iPhone “just works.” Well, right now my android “isn’t working.” Some of it is probably related to the provider (Virgin Mobile) and some of it is probably related to the Samsung hardware.

My screen isn’t rotating properly. Sometimes I have to wait more than 10 seconds for it to rotate even after sliding out the keyboard and other triggers like that.

My texts aren’t going through very well and my friend who has the same phone with Virgin Mobile also has this issue. I’m sure my friends must think I have issues when they get 4 or 5 “What are you doing tonight?” texts from me.

If the iPhone really does “just work” then maybe I might think of migrating over to the dark side.

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Be very careful if you choose the iPhone 4! It also just doesn’t work. The combination of a weak antenna switching regularly between masts as it continually hunts for a decent signal and software that makes it drop calls when switching between 3G and non-3G signals mean endless dropped calls and many many missed calls. Or perhaps we can make a swap?

Are you talking about just the AT&T one or both? AT&T’s iPhones never had good signal and always dropped calls. Verizon has a better network, but I no longer regularly talk to an iPhone user so I don’t know how things are with Verizon. Call quality with 3 bars is much better on my Virgin Mobile phone than with my home VOIP account, but it takes my phone several rings before i can even answer it.

The iPhone 4 is far from perfect. But, it’s misleadingly anecdotal to say it “just doesn’t work”. In ChangeWave’s study, consumers reported iPhone 3GS (AT&T) calls being dropped at a rate of 6.3%. With the iPhone 4, consumers reported at improvement, with fewer dropped calls at a rate of 5.3%. AnandTech’s in-depth review of the iPhone 4 (http://bit.ly/c5BAUo) corroborates this. Their review found the iPhone 4 to perform better with a very low signal compared to the iPhone 3GS.

So, while it may be fun to say it just doesn’t work, the less dramatic truth is that it does.

I have multiple smart phones and enjoy the iPhone 4. I purchased the retail unlocked GSM (AT&T) model since I can easily use it abroad, as I am now here in Thailand. The iPhone is a good phone. And, it’s no dark side. The iPhone 4 will put a quick end to your dark days of waiting 10 seconds for the screen to rotate. That sound s teensy bit irksome.

In any case, the best thing is to go play with one. Pick one up at an Apple store. You’ll have a lengthy 30 days to figure out whether or not you like it. If it’s not for you, take it back for a full refund.

To Chris. If you want specifics, my iPhone 4 is also factory unlocked and used on ATT in the USA (dropped call rates sort of acceptable at about 10%) and on Orange in the UK (dropped calls rates above 50%). As it was originally an Orange phone, and I have swapped the Orange mini-SIM for a replacement and had the phone checked by Apple, I can only believe it’s a design flaw. Specifically, it is about one bar signal when a friend’s BB on the same network is 5 bars. As a toy, it’s a great device – as a phone it’s next to useless.

And yes, it does turn the picture around within a second or two. That’s an expensive trick to perform.